


Promises (Part Two)

by DarthAstris



Series: Promises [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Electrical torture, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loved One Forced to Watch, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Psychological Torture, Starvation, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:15:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthAstris/pseuds/DarthAstris
Summary: Despite his harrowing childhood, Armitage Hux has grown into a fine officer of the New Republic Navy, alongside his friend-turned-lover, Poe Dameron.  Together, they stand poised to be the shining beacons of light and hope against the sinister encroachment of the First Order, but can their love for each other and devotion to the cause weather any storm?
Relationships: (endgame kylux), Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux
Series: Promises [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118855
Comments: 9
Kudos: 46





	Promises (Part Two)

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in Part One, this story takes a much darker turn. Please heed the tags! The dead dove content doesn't begin to appear until Chapter 3.
> 
> We also begin our tale with a solid gingerpilot romance, but will eventually end with kylux. It'll be a while, though, so please kick back and enjoy the ride! (Poe certainly is! ~_^)

***23 ABY***

Captain Armitage Hux, the youngest Republic naval officer ever to earn the title, stood on the bridge of the _Raddus_ looking out of the viewport at the gathered fleet. Posture rigid and hands clasped behind his back, he did not turn his attention away from the ships zipping through their combat maneuvers even when Admiral Ackbar approached to stand beside him.

"Are we ready for the test, Captain?" the aging Mon Calamari asked.

Hux drew a deep breath and exhaled. "As ready as we could be, sir."

Ackbar's gills wiggled in what passed for a smile amongst his people. The captain was understandably nervous, though Ackbar had the utmost faith in his protégé’s tactics and designs. Already, Hux's ion blast diffusers, gravity deflectors, cloaking projectors, and planetary shielding upgrades had seen immense success against the First Order's encroachment in the Outer Rim territories. He hoped to see yet another victory for his ambitious, newly minted flag officer today.

He chuckled, a gravelly, gurgling sound, "It will succeed, Captain."

"And, if not, sir?"

Hux had not lost his clipped, Imperial accent, nor his predilection for pessimism and self-doubt, but Ackbar thanked the stars every day that a young genius like Hux was on their side.

"Well, I've had a good, long career fighting the Empire, and now the First Order.” He laughed again. “I'm not quite ready to give up the ghost just yet, and I presume you're not, either. Have faith, son."

He patted the young man's tense shoulder and returned to his command chair to give the order. "All systems recording. Commence multi-phasic shield test run number 1 on my mark. Red alert! All crew to fire stations. Black Squadron in attack formation Desh 37. Time, 09:00 hours. Mark!"

* * * * * * * * * *

Hux observed the warships surrounding them and the surface of the craggy, lifeless moon below them. A frown of concentration knitted his brow as he stared out at the faint blue shimmer of the planetary shield covering Rikus 5. His stomach churned with both excitement and dread. If something went wrong with today's test, a whole squadron of X-wings could be lost. 

And not just any squadron.

Black Squadron.

_Poe's squadron._

Hux swallowed back the rising bile in his throat and reached out a hand to grip the railing in front of him.

The New Republic couldn't afford even a single loss like that. Dameron was one of their best pilots. The destruction of a specialized squadron like Black Squadron _,_ outfitted with all the latest technologies (a good deal of which Hux himself had developed) would be a devastating blow to their forces. The fact that Poe had insisted on being part of the first manned test run had only served to fuel the hyperdrive of Hux's nerves. On the one hand, Poe trusted him with his life, on the other… Poe trusted him with his life.

Hux didn't think _he_ could afford a loss like that, either, but now was not the time to engage in personal speculation.

Two squadrons of captured TIE fighters, without Hux's phase shielding upgrades, engaged the X-wings via remote control to simulate battle conditions. 

The X-wings darted out to meet their formation. One X-wing in particular sped through the exercise as though the Nine Hells of Corellia were reaching out to pull him to the netherworlds. Hux found himself paying a little too much attention to the wing commander’s movements as he jinked back and forth between the TIEs, executing the assigned maneuvers faithfully but with his own personal flair. Poe flew his ship around tight bends as smoothly as a lover caressing the lines of his partner's body.

The sleek spins and turns he pulled off sparked a familiar tightness in Hux's loins.

_This is why there are rules against fraternization…_

The X-wings broke through the TIE screen. 

Hux’s attention snapped back to the task at hand. He glanced at the readouts on the console in front of him and clenched the railing harder. “Fractal generator activated. Calculations at 99.99% accuracy,” he announced. That missing point oh-one percent irked him, but there was nothing to be done about it. Probability-based shielding could never be 100% certain. “Activate phase shielding.”

Hux looked to the XO.

“Phase shielding activated, sir.”

Poe answered for his squadron within seconds, his voice crackling with excitement over the com channel. “Energy drain minimal. Phase resonance is in the green. We’re good to go!”

Hux wished he could be as enthusiastic; he found no joy in teetering on the edge of life and death like Poe did. “Execute."

The X-wings dove toward the planetary shield, and Hux’s stomach plummeted with them. At this speed, there was no chance any of them could pull up in time. 

Hux’s eyes darted from the readouts to the starfighters and back again. 

He held his breath. 

A drop of sweat slipped down his spine as the ships made contact with the planetary shield.

Blue flashed, searing into his retinas. He gripped the railing so tightly he could hear his knuckles crack.

He blinked the brightness from his eyes. 

They were through, all four X-wings, safely speeding toward the moon’s canyons. The burning debris from the pursuing TIEs scattered and danced across the glittering plane of the shield behind them.

“All ships through. No damage reported. Power drainage minimal.”

Hux leaned back, exhaled, and felt himself wobble on his heels.

Now for the second test.

The starfighters raced through the canyons below, their maneuvers not simply a joyride, despite their buoyant chatter. Hull stress had to be tested in atmo as well as in the black, to make certain the phasing hadn't introduced micro-fractures in the plating of the X-wings. As the squadron began their ascent, Hux's grip again tensed on the railing. His personal datapad dinged with a warning sound.

"Commander," he addressed Poe through his com channel, "I'm reading a heat deviation in thruster 4. Throttle back to safety margins on your RTB. There's no need to hit the trap at full-speed."

Light fighters had long been able to penetrate the shields of capital ships, which were designed to diffuse energy blasts and ballistics moving at much higher speeds than starfighters were capable of achieving in combat. The X-wings had done their job. Now the simulation turned to the second squad of TIEs barreling toward the _Raddus_ to test the capital ship's new, multiphasic shields.

The X-wings breached the planetary shield and streaked toward Hux, TIE squadron forming up tight on their sixes. His knuckles white against the gleaming silver of the railing and the black void of space beyond, Hux tracked their return, flicking his gaze between the data readouts and the scene outside the viewport. He held his breath, refusing to close his eyes until the moment of impact.

As before, the X-wings passed through the shield unharmed, and the TIEs smashed against the shields in a blinding flash and a rumble that shook the ship.

Poe whooped, “Mission accomplished, Captain!”

The crew cheered, and Hux smiled, feeling the joy bursting within him, but he was still too focused on the diagnostics to celebrate just yet. 

The reports rolled in from the ships’ astromechs: Poe’s hull had suffered minor damage and the phasing had fluctuated by .0025%, despite having shored up the ships’ frames and calibrated their shields to near perfection. The deviations were well within acceptable limits, but not to Armitage. If this had been a real battle, with live fire, the stress of the phasing could have compromised the X-wings’ hulls.

“Excellent work, Captain Hux!” Ackbar’s large, red hand clapped his shoulder. “Keep this up and you’ll be an admiral in no time!”

“Thank you, sir.” Hux's heart fluttered at the mention of future promotions. He glanced back at his datapad.

"Relax, Captain. Let the droids to the datawork. There will be time to look over that later." He added, more quietly under the throng of excitement and chatter, "Successes of this magnitude don't come often. Take a breath. Celebrate."

Hux exhaled and nodded. "Yes, sir."

The admiral was right, of course, but it just wasn't in Hux's nature to not see every detail through to completion. It's what had gotten him so far, so fast, in the first place. A single, manned run would not be enough to prove the efficacy of his shields, nor the synchronization of the phase codes. Days, possibly weeks of fine-tuning would be needed. But, for now, Black Squadron had been ordered to return to base so that every nanometer of their ships could be analyzed. That would take the remainder of the day, and possibly the next. Hux wanted to be there to oversee the process, but he supposed he could allow himself a small reprieve. Besides, he was anxious to see Poe in the flesh, to ascertain he really was unharmed.

"Permission to attend to the fighters' debriefing, sir?"

Ackbar chuckled and nodded, "Granted, Captain."

Hux humbly accepted the praise of his crewmates, and returned their smiles and pats and handshakes as he made his way down to the hangar. Admittedly, he did feel a surge of excitement at yet another milestone achievement in his career. It wasn't arrogance that motivated his staid response, but a sense of propriety drilled into him from an early age. His successes were not his own; they belonged to the New Republic and her people.

Hux waited at the entrance to the hangar, hands clasped behind his back, until Poe descended from the cockpit.

Poe said something to BB-8, tossed his helmet into the hatch, and climbed down, hopping the past the last few steps of the ladder that had been wheeled over. He took a moment to run his hand over his X-wing's singed nose cone then turned and, seeing Hux, jogged over to him.

"Armie! You did it!" Poe's embrace was as sudden as it was fierce. Hux stiffened and laughed nervously – they were still on duty, after all – and patted his back as best he could with his arms pinned to his sides. "I knew you would!"

"There are still some details that need sort—"

Poe squeezed him tighter for a moment, cutting off his protests. "Stars, Armie! Do you realize what you've done? This is a miracle! Shields that starfighters can't penetrate without a matching resonance? The First Order won't stand a chance! Just think of how many screamers they'll lose before they figure it out! How many of our caps will be nearly invincible!" He lifted Hux again and spun him around. "It's-It's really— It's just—" Poe kissed all of his untethered excitement into Hux's smile. 

Heat rose all the way to Hux's ears. Such intimacy in front of the entire squadron! Still… he gave into the passionate gesture. Just for a moment. The he pulled back and gasped, "Poe, I can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry," Poe chuckled and set him down.

Snap punched Poe's shoulder as he passed, and Jess slapped him on the ass. Karé was much more professional about it, pausing to shake Hux's hand and congratulate him on the success of the test.

Poe leaned in for another kiss but Hux put his hands up, pressing back against Poe's orange flight suit. "We're still on duty, and we need to get to the debriefing."

"But we'll celebrate later?" Poe bit his lip and raised an eyebrow.

"Of course." Hux matched Poe's sly smirk and turned to walk away after giving him a surreptitious pinch on the ass.

"Well, I'll be damned…" Poe hurried to catch up.

* * * * * * * * * *

The high humidity on the _Raddus_ meant that the aura blossoms and Alderaanian flame-rose petals kept their radiant glow even after being cut and scattered throughout Poe's quarters. He'd had some difficulty sparking the tea light candles that ringed the upper ledge around his bed; the first attempt resulted in setting off the fire suppressant system. But, after an hour of cleaning and swearing and a little ad hoc engineering, Poe finally got the scene just right. Provided that Hux didn't hurry back to his own ship or stay on for an extra shift – always a possibility with his workaholic boyfriend – everything should still be nice and romantic for their return.

Hux gasped when the door slid open, and Poe prayed to every god of every planet he'd ever visited that he hadn't burned the place to a crisp. When he leaned around Hux's shoulder and saw that everything was as he'd left it, he huffed out a pent up breath.

Stepping into the cramped, but cozy space, Hux turned slowly and took in the sight of the twinkling flowers and candles, like stars scattered through the dim light. A wistful smile turned up the corners of his lips, and Poe let out another sigh of relief upon seeing Hux's wonderment.

"You like it?"

"It's… it's beautiful." Hux turned to look at him, concern replacing the awe in his eyes, "Tell me you didn't tamper with the fire suppressants?"

"Well…" Poe rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, already taking off his boots to place outside by the door. "Let's just say I improvised and leave it at that."

Hux drew breath, no doubt to rattle off various fire codes and berate him for how dangerous that could be, but Poe pressed closer, circling his arms around Armie's thin waist and leaning in for a kiss.

It worked.

Armie gave in, parting his plush lips to allow Poe to explore him more fully. Lips still locked, they stumbled and hopped toward the bed, limbs a flurry of tangled, hastily removed and tossed garments. Poe pushed Hux onto the bed, falling in atop him as he kicked his leg out of his flight suit and shoved it off onto the floor. 

He ran a thumb over the small scar on Armie's cheekbone and followed the caress with another kiss. That thin line was the only visible reminder of the disgusting abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his father so long ago. It had stayed with him, an echo of the terrors that had shaped his early years, but Hux wore it with pride, a badge of honor demonstrating that love could overcome any hardship.

"My beautiful genius," Poe said between pecks, "I knew you could do it."

Hux blushed and laughed, pushing him back slightly. "You need a shower."

"We're both going to need a shower when I'm done with you."

"Is that so?" Hux matched Poe's mischievous grin.

"Mmm." Poe trailed his fingertips down Hux's chest, pulling with them a gasp and a moan that deepened as his hand closed around Hux's growing hardness. He loved the sounds Hux made, and he loved that was the reason they vibrated through the space between their chests. Poe just loved to _love_. The whole galaxy deserved to feel this way, but none more so than his precious Armie.

Hux's hips rose to meet the strokes of his palm, and Poe laughed at the whine that escaped Hux when he stopped. "Don't worry," he chuckled, kiss after kiss on his way down, following the path his fingers had taken, "I'm getting there."

Poe licked a languid stripe from the base of Hux's cock to the rosy tip, the saltiness of his precum settling over his tongue and whetting his appetite for more. Ringing his tongue around the rim of Hux's foreskin elicited another sharp inhalation. Poe looked up. Armie had thrown his head back and arched his pale chest upward, his taut abs straining to hold himself in check. Poe smiled and kissed the tip, humming a laugh as Armie struggled to maintain his dignity. This was the part that Poe loved most: Hux's staid exterior slowly melting away to reveal the playful, passionate Armie that Poe so cherished seeing. 

Dicks were dicks, but Armie's was beautiful. Perfectly pink when flushed, hard and smooth as a statue, and, most importantly, just the right length for Poe to swallow completely. With that in mind, Poe decided he couldn't wait any more. He didn't want to tease his lover too much, anyway. Armie had earned his reward.

Poe engulfed him. Hux's cock slipped over the warm wetness of Poe's tongue and into the back of his throat as he opened to receive him. At the same time, Poe's hands slid upward over Hux's trembling thighs before parting ways: one seeking to support Hux's lower back while the other gently cupped and stroked his balls.

He felt Armie's moan resonate through him, and answered with one of his own as he continued the measured rise and fall of his mouth over Hux's shaft. 

" _Ah'lain_ ," Hux breathed, sinking his fingers into Poe's dark curls. 

Arkanisian. If there had been any doubts about the success of his efforts, Poe knew that once Hux dropped into his native tongue he was undone.

" _Ah'nán! Noum… Noum'sta!_ "

Urged on by Hux's pleas – at least, he assumed they were pleas; his Arkanisian was limited, at best – Poe sucked harder, circling his tongue around the head and concentrating his attentions there. Hux's balls twitched and tightened in his palm. Poe pressed a finger upward, just behind them, adding a slight, external pressure to Hux's prostate.

With a shout, Hux came. His cock pulsed between Poe's lips, and Poe gulped down every last, tremulous spurt.

Hux collapsed to the mattress, his chest heaving.

Wiping his mouth off on the back of his hand, Poe smiled and kissed a path back up to Armie's neck. He relished each jump and shiver of Armie's lithe form, grinning at the thought of completely wrecking him tonight. He was far from done.

Poe made a move to reach for the nightstand drawer and whispered against Armie's collarbones between kisses, "You want me to—"

" _Á_ … Yes!" Hux gasped.

Poe laughed. He certainly didn't need any more convincing. Without taking his attention away from the curve of Hux's neck, his hand sifted through the crinkly wrappers of the prophylactics, searching out the jar of lube. He hesitated for a moment over the condoms – his and Hux's relationship had been open from the start, and Hux had trusted Poe to decide when protection was warranted, a trust Poe held as a sacred benediction – but he hadn't been with anyone else in over a year, and right now he wanted to feel Armie as close to him as possible.

The cap of the jar screwed off effortlessly under his practiced fingers. He dropped it into the drawer and scooped out a liberal amount of the silky cream, slathering it over his fingers and his own stiff erection, all without once looking away or interrupting his concentration. 

"Tell me what you want." Poe broke off his kisses and sat back on his knees to get a better view of himself working the lube around Hux's twitching hole.

"Fuck me," Hux breathed.

"Tell me in Arkanisian."

Hux's blush deepened and climbed from his chest to his ears. "I… don't know…"

"Aw, come on; you know." Poe smiled. "Teach me how to talk dirty."

"I… I guess… _ii'marc_ _í_ _at_."

"'Ee markeeut…'" Poe attempted to repeat. "Hmm, that didn't sound like you meant it," he smirked. Poe slid a finger inside, feeling Armie clench and then relax into the sensation.

Hux gasped, "Don't be an ass."

Poe laughed. "I love your voice; let me hear it."

" _I_ _i'marc_ _í_ _at_."

"You can do better than that," he purred, curling his finger up to rub against Hux's prostate.

" _Á!_ _Ii'marcíat!_ " he cried, squirming under Poe's touch.

"Now we're talking." Poe's smile widened into a grin. He pulled his finger out slowly and pressed his cock to Hux's slicked entrance. Lined up, he leaned close, wanting to watch the way Hux's brows pinched as he inched in, the way Hux bit his lip and moaned as he stretched open around Poe. "Stars, Armie… you're so beautiful."

Hux only sighed in response, but his lips parting invited Poe in for another kiss. He dove in with such passion he thought he'd fall into a flat spin.

Long, slow strokes built the tension low in his stomach. He was near the edge, but Hux was only half-hard against his stomach, so he rocked back onto his knees and held Hux there for a moment, letting the tight heat keep him ready without sending him over. 

Hux groaned and writhed in the sheets. " _Ata'roischa_."

Poe didn't need any translation for that. He grinned and took hold of Armie's cock once more, gently letting his thumb slide up the underside of his shaft and play over the sticky, reddened head. The tiny whimpers he drew out with each movement of his fingers stirred his own need, and he set about an agonizingly slow rhythm, determined to last as long as possible.

Feeling Hux harden in his palm delighted him in ways he couldn't explain. Poe had always been an attentive lover, but with Armie, things seemed… more intense. Poe belonged to the stars – he hated the mundane grounding of all beings to the will of gravity – but he also belonged to Hux. He felt like he was floating whenever Armie was around, and in moments like this, he found he preferred the cock to the cockpit.

Hux's breath caught, hitched in that way that said he was close again. He felt so firm and hot in Poe's hand, and that eager heat and those yearning whimpers were all it took to break Poe's control. Clenching and quivering around him, Hux's own orgasm propelled Poe into that liminal space between soaring and crashing back into his own consciousness. Hyperaware of the electric arcs of pleasure that danced over his skin, yet simultaneously elsewhere, Poe spent himself deep inside his lover, and eased Hux through his own orgasm as well.

Spent, Poe retained enough presence of mind to collapse beside Armie rather than atop him. 

Hux turned just his head to face Poe, his body apparently as bereft of strength as his lover's. He started to say something but sighed instead.

Poe smiled and brushed his fingers over the sheen of sweat on Hux's cheek. "Stars, I love you."

In another time and place, had Hux's life under the thumb of his cruel father continued, Poe didn't think it would be so easy for Armie to respond to such a brazen display of emotion, but, despite the hardships and losses he had suffered, Hux had been raised with an abundance of love and respect. He returned the smile, and the sentiment. "I love you, too."


End file.
